1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer-aided design of vehicles and, more specifically, to a method for designing a HVAC air-handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle design, and in particular automotive vehicle design, has advanced to a state in which computer-aided design techniques are frequently incorporated in the development of a new vehicle. Computer-aided design is especially beneficial in packaging the various systems incorporated within a vehicle, to maximize design and functional capabilities of the vehicle systems. One example of a vehicle system is the climate control system. The climate control system maintains the temperature of an occupant compartment of the vehicle at a comfortable level. The climate control system provides heating, cooling and ventilation. Air handling for the climate control system is by an integrated mechanism referred to in the art as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) assembly. The HVAC assembly is typically positioned on the passenger side of the dash panel, below the instrument panel.
One aspect of the packaging task for a vehicle system, such as the HVAC assembly, is to ensure that it is spatially compatible with a particular environment, while still complying with predetermined functional criteria, including performance and durability requirements. In the past, various methods have been utilized to determine whether a proposed design meets such predetermined parameters. For example, a proposed design may be analyzed in two dimensions, which requires many iterations of a drawing. A three-dimensional model may also be constructed to obtain a better perspective of the design. The three-dimensional model may further be subjected to testing to determine whether it complies with performance and durability criteria. This method is time consuming and expensive.
It is also known that design methods that are knowledge-based are being utilized to design a vehicle system. The knowledge-based design method provides advice to the user of the method based on the environment of the design application used. Advantageously, knowledge-based design techniques maximize the amount of knowledge utilized, while developing a new vehicle system in a minimal period of time. An example of a knowledge-based design technique is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,293 to Kaepp, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod For Optimizing The Design Of A product Using Knowledge Based Engineering Techniquesxe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It is also known to use a computer-aided design technique to design a vehicle system. An example of a computer aided design technique is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 08/984,806, entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and System For Vehicle Design Using Occupant Reach Zonesxe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
While the above design techniques work well, they do not take into account the particular functional and packaging criteria associated with designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a method for designing a HVAC assembly for a vehicle using a computer aided design and engineering technique that accommodates functional and packaging criteria.
Accordingly, the present invention is a method for designing a HVAC air handling assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle. The method includes the step of selecting an architecture for the HVAC air handling assembly from a library stored in a memory of a computer system and selecting a HVAC component part from the library. The method also includes the step of generating a HVAC design using the HVAC architecture and the HVAC component part, determining if the HVAC design meets a predetermined criteria, and regenerating the HVAC assembly design if the predetermined criteria is not met.
One advantage of the present invention is that an improved method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system on a vehicle is provided that considerably reduces design time and related expenses. Another advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided that considers packaging criteria. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided that allows further analysis of vehicle packaging feasibility early in the design process. Still another advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided which supports computer-aided engineering analysis (CAE) and rapid prototyping.
A further advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided which enhances informed decision making regarding the design in furtherance of vehicle timing considerations. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided that enhances flexibility in climate control system design, while still meeting vehicle timing considerations. Still a further advantage of the present invention is that a method of designing a HVAC assembly for a climate control system is provided that utilizes parametric automated design in light of predetermined criteria.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.